Ionization-current regulator



0. H. AND A. F. PIEPER.

iONIZA TION CURRENT REGULATOR.

APPLlCATiON FILED NOV. 5, 1915.

1,388,527. Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

l ulmmu llln Wzli/zesses 7 INVENTOR 5 Oscar/7&6 er

%-P WW 0. H. AND A. F. PIEPER.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

lONIZATION CURRENT REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FlLD-NOV.5,19I8.

lNVENTOR-S Ziar ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR H. PIEPER AND ALIPHONSE F. PIEPER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

Iomza'rroN-cUnRENT REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

Application filed November 5, 1918. Serial No. 261,311.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OSCAR H. Pmrrm and ALPHoNsn F. Pmrnn, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Ionization- Current Regulators; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same reference being had to the accompan ing drawings, forming apart of this speci cation, and to the referencenumerals marked thereon.

Our'inve-ntion relates to rheostatsand particularly to ionization current regulators for the use of dentists in controlling ionization currents employed for electrically treating diseased teeth. The object of our invention is to provide a regulator of this kind which is simple in construction and operatron, economical to manufacture and efficient 1n use. A further ob ect of our invention is to provlde an ionization regulator in which the amount of resistance in the circuit can be very accurately adjusted. A still further object of our invention is to provide a regulator with a resistor of annular or circular form having a large'number of turns of a conductor of high resistance and a movable contact adapted to successively engage the coils of the resistor.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of an ionization regulator embodying one form of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism removed from the casing;

Fig. 4 is a central vertical section of the same;

Fig. 5 is a moved;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the device removed from the casing;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view showing the manner of mounting the resistor;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of the resistor showing the manner of connecting its terminals, and

' Fig. 9 is a diagram of the various circuits and their connections.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Our invention relates to a device for controlling or regulating ionization currents employed for treating diseased teeth. The

plan view with the cover reapparatus employed for this purpose comprise-s a generator or transformer, preferably in the form of a motor generator, from which a comparatively weak and steady current is obtained. In order to further control this current andadapt it to the requirements of the particular individual whose teeth are being treated, a regulator of some form is necessary. lVe have designed the regulator disclosed herein especially for this purpose.

Referring 'more particularly to the drawings. the'regulator is mounted in a cylindrical casing 1 and is suspended therein from the cover 2 secured to the body of the casing by suitable means, as by screws. De pending from the cover are a plurality of depending posts 3 which are counter-bored for the reception of screws by means of which a support in the form of a plate 4 is secured thereto. The support is circular in form and has a plurality of projections 5 provided with openings adapted to receive curved clamping devices 6 by means of which the resistor 7 is clamped to the support. Insulator members 8 separate the clamp and support from the resistor. The resistor comprises a cylindrical core 9 of insulating material curved in the form of a ring and having its ends spaced slightly from each other; Vound on this core is a conductor of high resistance in the form of a comparatively fine wire 10. The successive coils or convolutions of the conductor are wound in a single layer and the whole is treated with an insulating varnish except the portion on the inside of the ring which is left bare for a purpose which will presently appear. The varnish serves to securely hold the separate'coils of the resistance conductor to the surface'of the core. The ends of the resistance coils are connected to binding posts 11 and 12 seated in the adjacent ends of the core and passing upwardly through openings in the support 4 from which they are insulated and at their upper ends receive the conductors 13 and 14 which are connected to the poles 15 and 16, which are connected with the generator, not shown. The binding post- 12 is also connected with the pole 17 by means of the conductor 18.

Suspended from the support 4 but insuductor 20 with one of the poles 21 of a milliampere meter 22 supported in a forwardly inclined position on the cover of the casing. The other terminal 23 of the milli-ampere meter is connected by the conductor 24 with the pole 25. The poles 17 and 25 receive the conductors leading to the patient during the operation of the device.

Centrally of the support 4 is an opening in which is secured a sleeve 26 forming a bearing for a shaft or pivot 27, to which an arm 28 is clamped at its lower end. At its outer end, the arm 28 has a pair of wipers or con,- tacts 29 and 30 secured thereto but insulated therefrom. The pair of contacts or wipers are formed of a single piece of metal bent up to cause the wipers to operate at substantially right angles to each other. The wipers are in the form of spring fingers and resili ently engage the conductor ring 19 and the resistor 7, respectively. The wiper 30 cooperates with the inside of the resistor which is free from insulating varnish in order that it may form a close contact with the bare resistance wire. The shaft or post 27 extends upwardly through the sleeve 26 and at its upper end has a substantially circular disk plate or Wheel 31 having teeth 32 formed in its outer circumference. A toothed wheel or pinion 33 engaged the teeth of the wheel 31 and is secured to the end of a pivot or post 34 revolubly mounted in the cover 2 and at its upper end'is provided with a knurled finger-piece 35 by which it may be turned. When the finger-piece 35 is turned, motion is transmitted to the arm 28 through the disk 31 and post 27 and the wipers 29 and 30 moved along the conductor 19 and the resistor 7, the wiper 30 successively engaging the coils of the resistor to increase or diminish the number of'coils or the quantity of resistance traversed by the current. An annular scale 36 is provided on the upper surface of the disk 31 and cooperates with a hair line 37 on a transparent cover 38 mounted in the cover 2 of the casing through which the scale is visible. The cooperation of the scale with the hairline affords a convenient means for indicating the extent of movement of the wiper 30 relatively to the resistor. Means are provided for preventing movement of the wiper past the ends of the resistor. Said means comprises a stop in the form of a lug 40 struck up from the support 4 in the path of a cooperating stop 41 depending from the rotary disk 31.

In operation, the current flows from the post 25 through conductor 24, milli-ampere meter 22, conductor 20, conductor ring 19, contacts 29 and 30, resistancelO to binding post 16. The return current from the post 15 flows throughthe conductors 13 and 18 to the post 17, the strength of the current in the conductor 18 being also dependent on the position of the brush 30, since a part of this current also flows through the resistor with which the conductor is connected by the bindin post 12.

Ve claim as our invention:

1. In a rheostat, a support, a member carried thereby in spaced relation, a resistance element carried by and insulated from said member, a conductor carried by and insulated from said member, and an operating device movablycarried by said member and having connected ,contacts engaging said conductor and element.

2. In a rheostat, a support, a member carried thereby in spaced relation, a resistance element carried by and insulated from said member, a conductor carried by and insua lated from said member, and an operating device movably carried by said member and provided with contacts insulated therefrom but engaging and electrically connecting said conductor and element.

3. In a rheostat, a support, a member carried thereby in spaced relation, a resistance element carried by and insulated from said member, a conductor carried by and insulated from said member andextending parallel therewith, and an operating device rotatably carried by said member having a radial arm, and connected contacts carried by and insulated from said arm and engaging and electrically connecting said conductor and element.

4. In a rheostat, a support, a member carried thereby in spaced relation, a resistance element carried by and insulated from said member, a conductor carried by and insulated from said member, ashaft rotatably carried by said member and provided with a gear, a finger piece rotatably carried on said support and having a gear meshing with said gear on said shaft, and electrical contacts carried by said shaft and engaging and connecting'said conductor and element.

5. In a rheostat, a casing havin a cover, a member in said casing carrie by said cover in spaced relation, a resistance element and a conductor each carried by and insulated from said member, an operating device rotatably carried by said member comprising a finger piece outside said casing, and contacts movable by said device and engaging and connecting said conductor and element.

6. In a rheostat, a support, a member carried thereby in spaced relation, a resistance element'carried by and insulated from said member, a conductor carried by and insulated from said member, movable contacts for adjustably connecting said conductor and element, an operatingdevice for moving said contacts, an electrical meter on said support, and conducting means connected with said meter, conductor and resistance element.

7. In a rheostat, a casing, a plate carried thereby in spaced relation, a resistance element and a conductor carried in substantially parallel relation by said plate and insulated therefrom, contacts slidably engaging and connecting said conductor and element, and operating means movably carried on said casing and connected with said contacts for adjustably moving the latter.

8. In a rheostat, a casing, a plate carried thereby in spaced relation, a resistance ele- 10 ment and a conductor carried in substantially arallel relation by said plate and insulated therefrom, a shaft rotatably carried by said casing comprising a finger piece outside the latter, an arm on said shaft, contacts carried by and insulated from said arm for adj ustably connecting said conductor and element, and conducting means connected With said conductor and resistance element.

OSCAR H. PIEPER.

' ALPHONSE F. PIEPER. 

